You may have heard a rumour going around Keighley that this weekend's gala has been cancelled.

Well, we can assure you that the Gala is still going ahead as usual, although the fair will not be in attendance this year due to the weather.

The Gala starts at 12pm in the Town Hall square with the crowning of the Gala Queen, with the procession leaving Malsis Road at 1pm (click here for route map). There’s a whole host of entertainment at Victoria Park too, with trade and charity stalls, go karts, music, and much much more!

The Musician's Centre's Sunday Park Session event is still going ahead on Sunday 1st July too, once again at Victoria Park and starting at 2pm. Honeytoad, Don't Look Down and Minus Jack just some of the bands scheduled to appear. There will also be a number of trade and charity trade stalls present.

The Musicians' Centre's Sunday Park Session event is still going ahead on Sunday 1st July; it starts at 2pm and will be held at Victoria Park. Honeytoad, Don't Look Down, Montauk Island and Minus Jack just some of the bands scheduled to appear. There will also be a number of trade and charity trade stalls present.

Saturday June 30th is the 131st Keighley Charities Gala, and the gala committee is confident that this years is going to be the best yet!

The Gala starts at 12pm in the Town Hall square with the crowning of this years Gala Queen, Sophie Verity. This is followed by the traditional procession through the town(click here for route map), which kicks off at 1pm from Malsis Road and arrives at Victoria Park at approximately 2:30pm. This years procession features floats, walking groups, bands, dance troups and much more. There’s more entertainment at Victoria Park too, with stalls, music, and of course the fun fair. There’s no charge to enter the field.

On Sunday 1 st July there’s a music event, once again at Victoria Park, featuring a number of local bands. There will also be trade stalls present, and the fun fair will be open.

Don’t forget that the Gala also marks the start of Keighley Festival fortnight, which sees a whole host of events across Keighley. A leaflet detailing all the events is available from local businesses, or you can visit the Festival website – click here.

This year the gala will be taking place on Saturday 30th June. The new entry form has been uploaded to the website (click here).

It's taken a while but the Gallery has been updated with pictures from this years gala (click here).

More updates later this week!

The 2006 Keighley Gala has been and gone. The gala committee hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did, and we're already starting to plan the gala for 2007!

We'll be updating the website over the next few weeks with images and information from the Gala weekend. If you have any photos of the weekend's events you'd like to share then please contact us via email!

Today you'll find the Gala Queen page has been updated (click here), and we've published the list of the winners and runners-up of the procession (click here).

This week's Keighley News contains a pull-out supplement on the Gala and Festival. Make sure you get your copy!

Keighley Gala weekend starts this Friday with Marshall's fair opening at 6pm.

The festivities continue on Saturday with the Gala Queen for 2006 being crowned in Town Hall square at 12pm, followed by the procession which leaves Malsis Road at 1pm. The procession is expected to arrive at Victoria Park between 2:30pm and 3pm, where a host of events will keep all the family entertained.

Sunday sees the 'Battle of the Bands' reunion in Victoria Park between 1pm and 8pm, with the Fair opening at 2pm.

Finally, on Monday the fair will be open from 5pm.

You can now view the map of the procession route on the website by clicking here.

We have also produced a FREE programme for you to download. It's in Adobe Reader format (if you don't have Adobe reader installed on your computer, you can download it by clicking here). The programme can be accessed by clicking here.

As part of the Gala Festivities, Victoria Park will play host to a 'Battle of the Bands' reunion on Sunday 2nd July. This will feature the winners of this years event, including:

• Dusty Not Digital.
• Aspirin.
• Susskind.
• Swing the Lead.
• Von Schlieffen.
• Groovement.

The event, which is free, begins at approximately 1:00pm and finishes at around 8:00pm.

For more information please ring 01535 603136 or visit the Musician's Centre website.

The content of this years gala procession and events in Victoria Park look set to be the best yet!

Procession

No matter how England perform in the football World Cup, Keighley will have its own three lions on parade! The gala procession will contain a demonstration of Chinese Lion Dancing, with no less than three dancing lions. Make sure you're there on the day to cheers them on!

Numerous other local charities, groups and businesses have pledged support to appear in the procession. Amongst these is the Russell Street Project float, showcasing all the different courses and activities currently on offer. There's also the 'PSST - Art on the Move' float, featuring a representation of 25 local schools.

Remember, the procession leaves Malsis Street at 1pm and the route it takes can be seen here.

Victoria Park

As well as the usual fairground, there a number of events and activities are planned, including:

• The people at go-kartparty will be providing a go-kart track for children (please note that there will be a charge for this).
• Fresh from the procession there will be a demonstration of Chinese Lion Dancing!
• A number of clowns will be in attendance, and there will be a Punch and Judy show for the young (and the not-so-young too!).

Keep checking the website and the page for this year's gala for more details!

The Gala Committee is calling for any local group who wishes to apply for funding to start considering their application. Though all applications will be considered, priority will be given to groups within the Keighley area who don't receive funding from a nationally recognised body. Applications should be received by the end of August, and the Committee will meet to consider them in early September.

Applications can be made via the email address on this website, or see the contacts page to contact us via telephone for more information.

The entry form for the gala procession has been added to the website. In order to view / print it your browser will need to support PDF files. If you cannot open the form then you will need to install Adobe Reader. Click here for the form.

Don't forget, this year the gala is being held on Saturday 1st July!

We've updated the page for our 2006 Gala Queen, Abigail Williams! We now have a photograph of Abigail. Click here. (Image copyright Tony Fickes 2006. Used with permission)

The Gala Committee are looking for local groups / people who want to stage a stall or activity at the fairground in Victoria Park on gala day. If you are interested please contact Brian Hudson (Gala Chairman) via the 'Contact Us' link.

Don't forget, this year the gala is being held on Saturday 1st July!

Today saw the official launch of the Keighley Charities Gala website. The purpose of the website is to bring information about the Gala to residents of Keighley and its surrounding areas. It also gives them the chance to join in by joining the committee, participating in the procession or simply turning up on the day to support us.

The site also offers pictures of the gala from years gone by, with more exciting things to come! Keep visiting us for updates!

This year, the Gala is being held on Saturday 1st July.